U.S. to Aid in Search for Stolen Ukrainian Assets

WASHINGTON — The U.S. has sent a team of investigators to Ukraine to help track down assets that Kiev’s new government alleges were stolen by ousted president Viktor Yanukovych.

Ukraine’s new government claims Mr. Yanukovych and his family embezzled billions of dollars before he was ousted last month. The U.S. investigators, who arrived last week, include experts from the Justice and Treasury departments who specialize in uncovering theft and corruption by government officials.

The U.S. team will help Ukrainian officials comb financial records for evidence and try to recover stolen assets, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman said in a statement.

Last week, the Treasury Department warned banks that be alert for attempts by Mr. Yanukovych and associates may try to hide stolen assets. And the European Union and Canada has ordered banks to freeze the assets of Mr. Yanukovych and 17 of his associates.

Stuart Gilman, an anti-corruption consultant who has advised the new Ukrainian government, said it was essential that the investigation begin quickly. “The view is that this money is likely to disappear over time and it’s going to become harder and harder to track,” said Mr. Gilman, a former head of the United Nation’s global anti-corruption program.

Mr. Yanukovych, addressing a question about his assets and those of his family in a Feb. 28 news conference in Russia, insisted his ouster had led to lawlessness within Ukraine.

The Ukrainian deployment was part of the Justice Department’s anti-kleptocracy program, created by Attorney General Eric Holder in 2010. That program claimed its biggest win last week when the Justice Department announced it froze more than $458 million from the accounts of the former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and his associates.

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